Another Path
by EbonyBeach
Summary: Death is just another path, one that we all must take." Gandalf's words have led Arwen home into Estel's arms, and now they must learn to fly. Finally Complete.
1. Alone

Title: Another Path

Summary: "Death is just another path, one that we all must take." Aragorn is passing from this life, and the words of Mithrandir, spoken so long ago, give Arwen a new determination to find her way home to Estel's arms.

Rating: PG (may change later on)

Disclaimer: Tolkien owns it all. I own nothing. Gandalf's words belong to Fran Walsh/ Philippa Boyens/ Peter Jackson, as they did such a brilliant job on the rotk script.

Dedication: This one's for Sunshine, because she's such a great friend, and the idea behind this story proves conclusively that we are on the same wavelength (not even mentionning the totally sexy one!) big hugs to you LaLa :)

Author's note: I came up with this idea a few weeks ago and have written the first and second chapters. It's basically about when Aragorn dies, and how they are reunited in the next life. I have not seen this done before on fanfic (please tell me if you have as I would love to read someone else's take on what might happen) and I have no idea what their heaven will be like, but that's not until the later chapters so it's ok for now, I have time to think it through! I estimate this will be about 5/6 chapters in length, depending on how easy it is to write. Time-wise, I am putting chapter 2 up tomorrow, then going away for 13 days. Sitting in my caravan in a field in Cornwall will give me ample time to write the next few chapters of all of my fics, so when I come back I can update!

Sorry to bore you, on with the story!!

btw this one's sad, you might need tissues!

Chapter One

"You can't leave me," Arwen wept, salty tears staining her cheeks. "Not yet. You can't go."  
  
Aragorn managed a smile. With a huge effort he lifted his right arm and wiped away her tears. "I'm not going anywhere. You know I'll never leave you."  
  
Arwen kissed him with all the strength she possessed, harbouring the impossible notion that her life could somehow pass onto him, that they could be given just one more day together. One more hour. Just time enough for her to tell him how much she loved him, just to be with him.  
  
But their time was almost gone, and no matter how much Arwen tried to fight the inevitable, she knew deep down that it was coming, and no amount of denial could make it go away.  
  
Aragorn was dying, his time almost spent. He had sensed it for the past few months, but he had woken that morning and known he would not do so again in this life.  
  
"What will I do without you?" Arwen asked, running a hand through his grey hair, smoothing it down for what she feared would be the last ever time. "You are half of my heart, my soul. Without you, I shall not survive."  
  
"We will be together again," he whispered, his breath shaky and weak. "I swear I will never leave your side. When you sleep I will watch over you. When you laugh I will laugh with you, and when you cry I will dry your eyes. And some day we will meet again, whether in one day or one year, and I will hold you and kiss you like I once did. And together we will watch our children grow, helping them through the tough times, and always, always loving them. Tell Eldarion - tell him I could never be prouder of him. He will make a better king than any Gondor has ever known."  
  
Arwen shook her head as a fresh wave of tears began their journey across her pale cheeks, but Aragorn quietened her with a touch of his fingers on her lips. "But he will never find a better queen than you. Never." She kissed his fingertips and took his hand, lacing her fingers through his.  
  
He continued, his voice growing thinner with every word. "Tell the girls they must never give up. To have their dreams they can never lose hope. Tell them I love them all, and to take care of you. That especially."  
  
Arwen nodded and he smiled. "Now it is time."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Mela, we have lived full and happy lives. I could never have had such a life if it weren't for you. You know how much I regret leaving you, but it is not a choice for me to make. What I can decide is that I will die content, with the one I love by my side."  
  
"Estel, you will never know how much I love you." She kissed his brow, her tears dampening his tanned skin. She met his eyes and they spoke to each other in those last moments in ways that needed no words.  
  
"Remember my promise," Aragorn breathed. "We will be together soon. Sometime, somewhere. I will see your beautiful face again and look into your eyes and kiss your smiling lips. Sometime, soon..." He took his final breath and was transported to a place where there was no more pain.  
  
And all Arwen was left with was the body of a man, all but an empty shell. His eyes were still wise and his face remained as handsome as ever, but it wasn't her husband that lay on the tablet - it was a man unknown to her. He was a beautiful man yes, his grey hair and creased skin false symbols of age he had never felt, but he wasn't the man she loved. That man was gone, and she was alone.  
  
Through her tears she closed hie eyelids over empty eyes, her fingers shaking. With one final kiss on his still-warm lips, she stood and fled the room, her grief now able to fully penetrate the outer calm she had tried to keep whilst he was alive.  
  
Whilst he was alive... just thinking those words froze her heart and stopped the breath in her lungs. She had never felt pain like she felt now. Her soul had been ripped in half, her heart ground into little pieces. So long ago now, she had given her life to him, and in return he had given her his. But now he was gone, what use was either of those exchanges? What use was living when the one you lived for was dead?  
  
Fumbling her way to her room, she collapsed onto the bed they once shared, holding the sheets to her like they were him. And she cried until her body ached and her mind was blinded by fatigue, and then she cried some more. It was hours before she drifted off into sleep, dreaming that Estel was alive and with her, his arms tightly around her, never wanting to let her go.  
  
But when she woke, there was no one there. She called out his name over and over until she realised, and that was when the real grief hit her.  
  
He was gone, and she was alone.

..............................

Sorry it was so sad, but I had to start with his death otherwise the story wouldn't make much sense..... Next chapter up tomorrow, and it's a long one!

Oh, and if anyone has any ideas about what their heaven should be like, I'd love to hear them! I already know a lot of what's going to happen, but not exact details. Thank you all!


	2. Letting Go

Firstly, I'm so sorry I didn't update when I said I would.... as I said on my profile page, Document manager was down and then I've been away for the past 12/13 days... so I'm sorry! But really it's all fanfics fault...!

This chapter is not as sad as the first, but verging on it.... I re-read it when I got home after not seeing it for two weeks and I actually amazed myself with how well written it was (for me)! So I hope you enjoy it...

The children: Aragorn and Arwen's children (excluding Eldarion) I invented in a fic I am currently writing (see my profile page), which will be up fairly soon... their descriptions were not necessary but I put them in anyway.... Also, time has jumped because in my next fic A/A have the children a few years after they're married, but in this they are only young when A/A die... so just pretend the two fics aren't related (even though I use the same children).... get it? Good, because I don't.....

Disclaimer: Only A/As 5 girls belong to me, the rest are Tolkien's

Dedication: Sunshine, and ME132 because your review was so inspiring and lovely!

Thanks are at the bottom......

Chapter 2

"Death is just another path, one that we all must take..."

The words that Gandalf had spoken so many years ago had been all that had kept Arwen going, getting her through the grief and hollowness of each day with nothing to do but mourn the loss of her husband. And now they would take her home. Home, that was, to Estel's arms.

She was ready to travel her next path. She had wanted to ever since the final breath had been whipped from his lungs, but now she was ready. She had done the things she had to do, attended the funeral, kept up appearances; all that was left was saying goodbye.

Her children were gathered where she had told them to be. Eldarion feared he knew what his _Naneth _wanted to say to them, that this would be the last time he ever saw her, but he hoped against hope that he was wrong. He wasn't ready to be a king, not yet. Especially not when he was expected to live up to what his father meant to Gondor.

His sisters, it seemed, didn't have a clue what was going on. He knew they had all noticed the strange behaviour of their _Naneth_, but they didn't appear to have put two and two together. Before he could think any more on it, Arwen appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

She was still more radiant than any in Minas Tirith, save perhaps her daughters, but the light that once shone in her eyes had gone. Her face was paler than it had ever been, and dark circles framed her eyes. She no longer cared for her hair or body it seemed, and she was thin, and frequently ill.

But soon it would all be over, all the pain and sorrow, the feeling of being ripped in half every time she so much as heard Estel's name spoken. The whole palace reminded her of him, places they sat together, paths they took moonlit strolls alone, rooms they entered only once, and most of all their chambers. She could not even bear to remove the clothes he had left on the end of the bed from the night before he passed away.

She hated the word 'dead', refused to say it. It seemed so final, absolute, irreversible. According to Gandalf, the deceased just lingered on in another part of the world. A part Arwen was only too keen to get to.

"My children," she said, her once melodious voice now flat and monotonous. "I- I have asked you to come here because.... because it is time for me to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Elbereth asked. She was the youngest at seventeen, and had been hit the hardest when she lost her _Adar_.

Arwen smiled sadly, and for a second almost regretted her desicion to leave. But her hand ascended to her neck where the Evenstar hung, and she saw Estel, mere hours before he passed away to a better place, insisting that she take back the necklace, forcing it into her hand with the little strength he could muster.

_"I do not want it," she had protested. "It was a gift. It is yours."_

_He had smiled and said, "I give you this back with a promise. A promise that one day I will find you again, and you can return it to me. You can return to me."_

And Arwen held the jewel in her hand and knew what she had to do. The choice between her children and her husband seemed an impossible one, but one she had always known the answer to.

"I cannot live like this," she said suddenly, desperately fighting the tears that she knew would soon break through the fragile mask she wore. "I cannot bear it any longer. Without him I am nothing. We were two halves of the same whole. And by myself there is just no reason that I can see for me to pretend. I am so, so cold," she continued, almost as if she were talking to herself. "There is no light, no warmth, no colour. Just cold, black, empty darkness. And I am drowning in it, so deeply that I have to escape now or I may never be able to. There are knives everywhere, and with every breath I take another one tears my heart apart. I am bleeding, but not enough, never enough. There is a wall infront of me, with a small window. I can see him on the other side, watching, waiting for me. But I can't get over the wall, I can't reach him. Sometimes instead of climbing I try knocking the wall down, and I always try so hard, but it is too big, too strong. I throw myself against it until my body aches and my hands bleed, but it is never enough." Her tears had yet to fall, but she was too numb to notice. "Why should I keep on trying when I know there is no chance of success? Why can't anyone see what I see, feel what I feel, live like I live? Why should I struggle through every day, unfeeling, exhausted, alone? Why should I be forced to live when the other half of my soul has gone somewhere else, somewhere I should be allowed to follow? Why am I not allowed? Why?"

She looked around for a moment, confused when she saw her children's faces staring straight back at her. Then she realised she had actually said aloud what she thought ever second of every day. With a sharp jolt she was pulled back into reality, and that was when the mask disappeared. She ran at her children, pulling them all together in a desperate embrace, holding onto something, anything, to keep her feet in the present. And reluctant as she was to do this, her family had a right to know why she was deserting them. She couldn't - wouldn't - let them suffer any more than they had to.

Reluctantly she stepped back from them and wiped her tears away with a shaky hand. "Your f-" She took a deep breath to compose herself the little she could before continuing. "Your father told me to- to tell you some things, just before he..." She could not bear to say 'passed away', but her children were already well aware of what she meant. "I should have said them before, but I..." Again she trailed off, lost for a reason to justify what she knew was unjustifiable. She had been selfish in keeping Estel's last words all to herself, deceiving his final wishes of small comforts to his children. She had thought that those last moments belonged just to the two of them, and telling others, even their children, would be intruding on such a private moment as seemingly to make it less special.

But she had realised that the beginning and the end were not as important as what happened in the middle. They had lived blissfully together for over a century, and had over one hundred years of memories, only a tenth of which their children could remember. She had no right to hold onto words which were meant for them also, words which might provide comfort at last from the grief. She owed it to them, and she owed it to her husband.

"Eldarion." She stepped towards him and tenderly brushed his long hair out of his face. "My son. I know you are tired of hearing this, but your are so like your father." She managed a smile. "Not just in appearance but in heart and mind. You are strong and wise, and the woman who steals your heart, whoever she may be, will have my blessing, and herself shall be blessed. Your father told me to tell you this: he was so proud of you, in every way, and he thought you will make a better king than any Gondor has ever seen." Eldarion shook his head, but Arwen continued. "He was- is right. I never want you ever to believe otherwise." She kissed his forehead and he desperately wiped away his tears. "It was not just your father you made proud. I love you, and I will never leave you, no matter what."

Before the real depth of her words hit her, she quickly moved onto her daughters, fighting every second for composure and the strength to say what needed saying. She knew once this was out of the way, she would finally be able to leave this life. "Amelí, Maia, Silmarien, Alielle, Elbereth." She looked at each of them in turn as she said their names.

Amelí was the image of her _Naneth_, from her haunting blue eyes to her long dark hair, the curve of her lips and the perfectly defined shape of her body. In character she was gentle and kind, every bit the princess, but she had another side that showed only in private, and, rare that it was, no one wanted to be on the wrong side of Amelí when she was angry.

Maia had her _Adar's _eyes and personality - she was strong-willed and often resorted to sarcasm as her last form of defence, but she was also the most loving and generous of her siblings, and would do anything for anyone, no matter the price. When she received news of her _Adar's _passing, the first thing she did was rush to comfort her family, before even thinking about her own feelings.

When the twins were younger, they were indistinguishable from one another, but as they grew, Arwen saw clearly how Silmarien and Alielle were so different. Silmarien, the elder of the two, was quiet and reserved, never raising her voice and always the most reluctant to join in an argument. Alielle, however, was loud and outspoken. She deserved trouble, but always managed to place the blame onto someone else, something Estel used to say she got from her _Naneth_. She was forever seducing men, then breaking their hearts the very next day. Unpredictable was the best word to describe the King and Queen's fourth daughter, lucky also. She had survived her birth by a hair's breath, and her name was shared by the young nurse who had saved her life.

And finally there was Elbereth. Like her namesake, she truly was Queen of the Stars in the eyes of everone who knew her. Beauty was not a word strong enough to describe her. Of all their children, Elbereth was the one who looked equally like both her _Naneth _and _Adar_. She was quite a bit younger than her siblings, an age gap of five years between herself and the twins, Eldarion her elder by twelve years. She had come as a bit of a surprise to her parents, but they loved her all the same. Spoiled by her family, especially her _Adar_, she became his 'Little Princess', and his death hit her hardest because she had always been protected by him, and suddenly became so vulnerable.

Of all her children, Arwen hated the thought of leaving Elbereth the most. She was young and knew nothing of the harshness of the world around her. Again Arwen's hand strayed to the pendant around her neck, and all the doubts she had faded away into the thoughts of just seeing her beloved Estel once more. Her choice was made. There was no going back now.

"Your father had a message for you all, 'his girls'," she said quitely, "part of which you have already succeeded in without knowing it. He told me to tell you that you must never give up. Whatever your dreams, they can only be achieved if you don't lose hope. He said that he loved- _loves _you all, and that you must especially look after me. In that you all will have made him proud. I think he knows how you have made my days easier just by being here, but I will not neglect to mention how well you've done when I see him."

"See him? Are you-? I don't understand." Silmarien said what all her siblings were thinking.

"_Naneth_," Amelí almost whispered, "_Adar_... _Adar's _gone." She swallowed and awaited Arwen's reaction with baited breath.

To all of their surprise, she smiled. "He is gone, yes, but he is not lost. Many many years ago, I think only you," she looked at Amelí, "And Eldarion may remember, your _Adar _and I fell out. But it was serious, not some petty argument. And after we made up, we vowed never to let each other go again. Do you think we would let something like death stand in our way?" She looked at each of her children and saw just then how young they all were. "I have lived on this earth for near on three thousand years," she told them, "And if there is one thing I have learnt, it's that love - true love - lasts forever. What your _Adar _and I share is... I cannot even begin to describe it. One day you will each find true love, and you will know what I am talking about."

She was surprised that she had not begun to cry again, but in truth she knew that she simply had no more tears left. Enough had been shed, and there would be many more to come, but she was determined not to let any more of her hurt fall in vain. Grief wracked her body, but hope now began to seep into her heart, knowing she was so close to Estel. She was letting go, of her life, of her children. And now she was free.

"I leave you now because it is my time to take the path that was laid before my feet many years ago. I gave myself to your _Adar_, and in doing so I have always known that my end would come some day in this life." She kissed each of her daughters, unmoved by their tear-stained faces. "My darling girls, I love you all so much. And remember," she said as she turned to look upon them for the last time in this life. "Death is just another path, one that we all must take. I will always be with you."

And with a smile she turned and was gone, leaving her children to comfort each other in the wake of their worst nightmare. Their role models, protectors, _parents _were both gone. No one would ever love them in the same way their _Naneth _and _Adar _did. They had lost a piece of their hearts, and would never get it back.

........................

Huge thanks go to:

**Cerridwen:** hehe thanx! I love all your reviews! I must get round to updating more though, because you get about 10 times the amount of reviews from me as the other way around!! Oh I love reviews! ;)

**ME132:** Well, I tried, but it was all fanfics fault! sorry! I loved your review..... thank you so much!

**viviana:** thank you!

**lindahoyland:** yeah, my heaven seems to be along the same lines as what you said... about the thought... we shall see..... thanks!

**Evenstar Dreams:** cheers! :)

**aimz-246:** glad I could be of service to your wanting-a-fic-with-this-theme needs!!!

**grumpy:** well, thats what I intend.... thank you!

**Elegant Courture:** thank you!

**Malathwen:** thank you, I don't think death can ever be happy... unless its someone really evil... but thats still sad.... oh just ignore me!


	3. To Catch a Falling Star

Ok, after many trials and tribulations, broken laptops and lost words, it's finally here: the reunion! After I finished writing this I was literally shaking in relief and excitement! Hmm, so, anyway, here it is!!!

Disclaimer: The characters (except A/As 5 girls), places etc. and extract from Appendix A belong to Professor JRR Tolkien - if it wasn't for him none of us would be here today!!

Dedication: Cerridwen-Evereven (aka LaLa, Sunshine etc. etc.!) is one of the best friends I've ever had - she's such a brilliant writer (I mean it - go read her stories NOW!!), she's so funny and I couldn't ask for a better friend! So I think, LaLa, you know just why I love you so much, and however many dedications I give you, it'll never be enough! :):):) Now let's get this show on the road before I go totally OTT and cry... you know what I'm like!!!!!

Chapter content - tragedy and sorrow naturally, but happiness at the end!!! :)

Don't worry, there are more chapters to come! I wouldn't leave you all like this!

Thanks are at the bottom. Now let's get it on!

Chapter 3: To Catch A Falling Star

The forest of Lothlórien was deadly still. The magical light that once shone from every leaf was gone, taking with it all life and sound. It had been over a century since the Galadhrim had left for the Forest of Greenleaves with their Sindar King Celeborn, grandfather of the Elf that now walked solemnly between the tall Mallorn trees.

Black were her clothes and hair, graceful was her movement, beautiful was her face, yet the light that once shone in her eyes was quenched and her heart was now weary of its years.

Long ago Arwen Undómiel had come here, to see her grandparents' smiling faces, to laugh, run and enjoy life. Much later she met a Man who called her Tinúviel, and although she didn't know it at the time, he would steal her heart and soul, give her six wonderful children and his kingdom, and love her more than life itself. She had met that Man here again and they had made a promise then, one that she now came to honour, and to fulfil.

_On the evening of Midsummer Aragorn, Arathorn's son, and Arwen daughter of Elrond went to the fair hill, Cerin Amroth, in the midst of the land, and they walked unshod on the undying grass with elanor and niphredil about their feet. And there upon that hill they looked east to the Shadow and west to the Twilight and they plighted their troths and were glad._

_And Arwen said: "Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you, Estel, shall be among the great whose valour will destroy it."_

_But Aragorn answered: "Alas! I cannot forsee it, and how it may come to pass is hidden from me. Yet with your hope I will hope. And the Shadow I utterly reject. But neither, lady, is the Twilight for me; for I am mortal, and if you will cleave to me, Evenstar, then the Twilight you must also renounce."_

_And she stood then as still as a white tree, looking into the West, and at last she said: "I will cleave to you Dúnadan, and turn from the Twilight. Yet there lies the land of my people and the long home of all my kin."_

She had been right: Estel had been among the fellowship of nine who destroyed the Shadow. She had always placed her hope in him, and he had never let her down. Now it was her turn to prove herself to him.

As she lay herself down atop the hill, memories of her time with Estel flashed through her mind, so may they were almost an agonising blur. The first time they met, his coronation, their wedding, the look on his face the first time he held each of his children, all the adventures they had together, painful goodbyes and tearful reunions, how he helped her when she was down, his touch on her bare skin, how his eyes lit up when he was happy about something, his smile, the taste of his lips, his voice, the last words he said to her, his final promise...

Clutching the Evenstar pendant, she whispered those words over and over: "_I give you this back with a promise. A promise that one day I will find you again, and you can return it to me. You can return to me._" Tears clouded her vision and with every word she felt her voice become thinner, her body grow weaker. She had thought there would be pain, but there was none.

"I am coming Estel, my life, my heart," she said, closing her eyes. "I am returning to you."

Gradually darkness began to seep through her, eliminating grief and sorrow, leaving only warmth. And still there was no pain. All she sensed - if it could be called a sensation - was complete and utter peace. The coolness of the pendant in her hand began to fade against her fingertips, as she felt her heartbeat slow beneath her chest.

_If this is my destiny_, she thought in her dying moments, _then maybe it is not so bad after all_. And then she saw Estel, and called out his name, and he heard her.

And as her soul slipped from her body, floating, falling, he caught her.

And it seemed then that a gentle breeze blew, and hope blazed in the hearts of everyone who had ever been blessed in knowing Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar of her people, King Elessar's Queen, and the most kind, caring, compassionate, gentle, beautiful, loving person that had ever lived.

Over one hundred leagues away in Minas Tirith, King Eldarion Telcontar and his five sisters felt their hearts life, and all their sorrows slip away. They smiled at each other for the first time in weeks, together realising what it meant.

"He has found her," Eldarion whispered. "They are home."

And as they sat together at dinner that night, they raised their glasses in a toast to their _Naneth _and _Adar_, and to everlasting love, each of them hoping that one day they might find someone to love them as completely as their parents loved each other, and they knew that only then would they be truly blessed.

_To Be Continued...._

**Cerridwen** - aah yes, tissues are an essential item for everyone.... gah, ok it's just me then!!! But seriously, I know you, you're gonna say 'that dedication was so sweet but you're just as good a friend etc.' - STOP BEING SO MODEST!!! evil voice: I mean what I say..... mwah ha ha ha haaaaa!!! ;) L&H XxX

**viviana** - thank you, more is here!

**Dark Borg Drone** - of course! and thank you! I always love a good bit of Elvish!

**lindahoyland** - yeah, I always thought she was a bit of a bitch leaving her children the way Tolkein wrote it, so I tried to make her a lot more loving and caring as I'm sure she would be, and make the decision seem as hard as possible for her, even though we all know her obvious choice! I'm glad you think I did it well! Thank you!

**ME132** - hehe yeah they were rather productive weren't they?! In the epic kinda fic I'm writing at the mo (look out for it, called The Soul Has No Rainbow) you kinda see just _how_ productive they were - lol! well, this chapter was sad and sweet in a way, and you got your wish, they're together!!

**Malethwen** - sorry it took so long to update, its a long and very boring story, but its here finally!! thanks! and your story is great btw!

**Strider's Girl** - this is the only story that has ever made you cry?! wow! Should I feel somehow honoured?! I cried writing it, this chapter too, but then I cry at everything so that's not really a very good comparison! Somewhere I read/heard that last bit, more along the lines of, "my father's passed away and I will never be loved like that again" and it made me think about it and its true, and really quite sad.... anyway... thanks!


	4. The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn

Acoording to the line from the great Moulin Rouge, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return." Bearing that in mind, here we go.....

Chapter 4: The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn

When she opened her eyes, she saw him. He looked no older than ninety, the handsome king who had taken her for his wife. Yet he could have looked nine hundred for all she cared. He was stood watching, waiting. Waiting for her. She threw herself into his open arms, tears of joy streaming down her face. And he held her, and kissed her, and they fell in love all over again.

"Arwen, I've missed you so much, you cannot imagine."

She could have told him he was wrong, that she had missed him just as much, if not more, but she didn't want to speak. She just wanted to be held, kissed, loved.

And Aragorn did as she wanted and he loved her more in that moment than he ever had before, and vowed never to let her go again. Never was a long time, but compared to a second with his love, it was a mere breath.

And so they stood as close as physically possible, letting the silence heal all their hurts, the kisses dry their tears and the love bind them so tightly that never again would they break apart.

Arwen had not taken in her surroundings, nor did she care to; they could be in Valinor or the Shire, in body or in spirit for all she knew. All that mattered was that she was there, in his arms: she was home.

"I came back to you," she whispered, desperately kissing him for fear she might lose him again.

"I know," he replied, holding her ever closer, seeing, touching, breathing her. "I said I would find you." He pulled back as much as he could without missing her already, and looked into her beautiful face. She was perfect; she always had been and she always would be, but he felt it now more than ever. "And I did." He kissed her then, the full force of his love evident in his voice, his touch, his caress, and his heart.

His eyes drifted to the Evenstar pendant that hung around her neck, shining with the renewed light of both their souls. Arwen followed his gaze. With hands shaking from all the emotion in her heart, she tried to unclasp it. Gently Aragorn's strong hands took hers, and, laying them on his chest, took the Evenstar from around her neck.

"It is returned to you," she said softly, searching his eyes for any hint of mischief which would confirm that this was all a crazy dream, that they were really back in Gondor with their children and kingdom, one of his little jokes. She kissed him, closing her eyes against such strange possibilities. When she looked again, they showed what they had always shown, in such undeniable amount and strength. Love. "And so am I."

And then closing his hand around the pendant and holding it with her own, their lips met once again, and they were taken back to Imladris, where so many years ago they had made a promise, one that would stand, unchallenged, forever.

They loved each other with all their mind, body, heart and soul. And to love someone and be loved in return, so completely, was to live.

Being here with Estel may have cost Arwen her immortality, but she wouldn't change it for the world.

She didn't need to: it was already hers.

* * *

So I thought I'd let you read that before the disclaimers etc. put you off. btw it's all Tolkiens, apart from the song line, which I think is Baz Luhrman's..... not too sure, but I love it anyway! 

And as ever this was dedicated to Sunshine, especially for helping out with my stalker.... and I'm not kidding! So thankies! :):):):):)

I went back to school today, straight into double chemistry! So you'll understand why I'm not all happy and trillions of exclamation marks etc.... lol! Ah well, its got to be done so what's the use complaining?! none!

**Cerridwen:** oh donkey, you old mule, you!!! lol! {big hug} there you go! rainstorms are good..... they seem to be a permanent weather feature wherever I go.....! have you seen Moulin Rouge? If you haven't YOU MUST! It's amazing!! Anyways..... thanks for all your lovely advice with the WSO... I just need to ask Chris to be my boyfriend now...... lol!

**lindahoyland:** thank you, I know this chapter is much shorter but I didn't want to drag it out too much or it wouldn't be as moving... is that the right word!? anyways, thanks!

**viviana:** I am continuing!! and there'll be plenty more to come, don't worry!

**ME132:** was it fluffy enough for you?? I don't think I want to been on the wrong side if its not!!! lol! thank you!

**Strider's Girl:** well hopefully this is much more happy!! thanx!

**Dark Borg Drone**: what's Saes?! I don't understand! But I will continue!!!

**ArwenElfstone:** Oh its far from over! Watch this space.......... thank you!!

**Valia-Elf:** I'm glad you're glad this will be continued.... though I'm unsure when, as I went back to school today....... :( lol! anyways, I'll try my very best! thank u!

**Malethwen:** wow another wonderful review!! thank you so much, sorry for making you cry so much!


	5. Learning To Fly

And so, finally, we come to the end of all things... I know this update is WAY overdue, and it's not my best ever piece of writing,but at least it's here...

Everything is Tolkien's except the 5 girls.  
A/N You may want to read the last few chapters, or indeed the whole story if you've forgotten or this won't make much sense. You also may or may not need tissues.

Thanks to everyone who has reveiwed, this is for you all.

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Chapter 5 - Learning To Fly

Wrapped in each other's arms, Aragorn Elessar Telcontar and Arwen Undómiel had been holding each other for what seemed like hours, just letting their love wash over them, banishing the past weeks of painful separation from their minds.

In between kisses and silent embraces, they spoke of memories - good and bad - more to assure themselves that they were really there, together, than anything else.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Arwen asked, her starlit eyes searching her husband's face, taking in every line lest he was ripped suddenly from her again.

He smiled and kissed her softly. "I thought I had strayed into a dream. You were so beautiful. Lúthien has nothing on you. She never had."

Arwen felt the blush rising in her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with all her strength. "_Im meleth lle, Berennya, cuilënya, endanya_."

I love you, my Beren, my life, my heart.

He kissed her lips again, her cheeks, her forehead, before holding her against his chest. "_Ar inyëlyë, vanya Tinúvielnya, oialë._"

And I you, my beautiful Tinúviel, forever.

They were silent for a few moments more, before Aragorn spoke again. "That night on Cerin Amroth - that was when my life truly began."

Arwen smiled and looked at him. "I had lived for nearly three thousand years, but from that night on, I was as a new born child. I saw everything in a new light, respected everything all over again. Suddenly the world was alive and so was I."

"No regrets?" Aragorn asked.

"Ne regrets," she replied, touching the Evenstar pendant that hung on his chest. "If I could live my life a hundred times over, I would always make the same choices, follow the same paths. We had everything, didn't we?"

Aragorn smiled as he brushed a strand of ebony hair behind her pointed ear. "We still do _meleth_," he told her, but she shook her head.

"We have each other, yes, but the six children that depended upon us completely, we left them behind. _I_ left them." She shut her eyes as she felt the tears building up, and Aragorn allowed her a second to compose herself before he spoke.

"Arwen, you didn't leave them, not out of choice." He lifted her chin so he could look straight into her sparkling eyes. "We both knew the day would come when we'd have to say goodbye." He leaned in slowly and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "They're still here," he rested his hand across her heart. "They're still with us, and we're with them. Close your eyes, _melennya_, and think of them. Eldarion wearing the winged crown, Amelí, Maia and Silmarien, Alielle causing trouble, Elbereth with her enchanting smile. See them in your mind, and look."

He watched her as she opened her eyes, only to close them again as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. The world around her had shifted completely, and she was stood suddenly in her home, the palace of Minas Tirith. And there in front of her, sat around the dinner table, were her six children. Tears came to her eyes instantaneously and she felt her husband's strong arms go around her as her mind and body were weakened by the sight.

"How- ?" She breathed, unable to tear her gaze away from the beautiful creatures whom she had once carried as babes.

Aragorn didn't reply for a few minutes, instead observing their children as they ate their meal, oblivious to the apparition before them. Arwen reached out to Silmarien, to take her hand, but he held her back. "They cannot see or hear us," he whispered, knowing he was breaking his wife's heart all over again. "We have left that world."

She tore her gaze from the palace and turned tear-stained eyes on her husband. "But how can we see them?"

"In this place," he began quietly, "It is not matter that is important - it is thought." Suddenly the world changed again, and they were in a green pasture, where butterflies swirled and the sun was high in the sky. "Arwen, you must let go of them. We will watch over them and always love them, but to them we are gone, and their lives will go on without us." He followed the path of a tear down her cheek with his finger. "All the races of Arda come and pass, but in love we will live forever."

And as his lips found hers in a lingering kiss, suddenly she understood. She had been granted a second life with the Man she loved, and to spend it grieving for something she could not have was almost like saying she was ungrateful. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

"Estel, I love you," she told him, returning his kiss with all the love in her heart. "I always will. But I cannot feel nothing over losing my children. There is pain that won't just disappear."

He smiled sadly at her, and kissed her softly. "Then let me take it all away." He traced her perfect lips with his thumb, before meeting them once again in a burning kiss.

Their love making was gentle and passionate, and when release came it was with soft cries that fell only on each other's ears. As they lay together on the grass, naked flesh sheened with sweat, lips red with the memory of hungry kisses, Aragorn held his wife ever closer and they were taken back to their wedding night, all those years ago...

_Aragorn woke in the early morning after his wedding. He watched his beautiful wife with eyes that didn't quite believe what they were seeing: beside him she lay, naked, perfect - she was his. He wrapped his arms around her, needing to hold her, needing to be held. As she rose from sleep, he whispered in her ear. "What did you dream, Undómiel?"_

_She looked at him through long eyelashes, moving further into his embrace as she sighed contentedly. "I dreamed I was married to the most wonderful man, who kissed me and loved me and swore he'd never let me go." She smiled. "And even now as I see you, I still think it is a dream - for I feel like my heart is flying above the clouds, yet surely reality cannot permit this. Flying is the most desired yet impossible sensation. One day, I would love to fly."_

_He smiled and kissed her lips, the lips that got sweeter with every taste. "Then one day, we will fly together, and we will be free."_

"Do you still dream of flying?" Aragorn asked his wife softly, pulling back from his reverie. She was already asleep in his arms.

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And so the years came and passed in Minas Tirith. The royal family was growing as the King and five Princesses married and had children, and love was shared throughout all of the West. 

And somewhere in the lands that imagination alone could envision, the founders of this family lived on in harmony, watching, loving and never looking back. And one day they stood on the edge of eternity, and Arwen looked to her husband and he smiled.

"What happens now?" She asked as he took her hand.

"Now, we fly."

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The End. 


End file.
